In order to implement eco-friendly technologies and to solve problems such as energy exhaustion, and the like, electric vehicles are recently emerging. An electric vehicle is operated using a motor that is supplied with electricity from a battery and outputs power. Therefore, since the electric vehicle has advantages in that it does not discharge carbon dioxide, generates very little noise, and has higher energy efficiency of the motor than that of an engine, the electric vehicle is highlighted as the eco-friendly vehicle.
A core technology of the electric vehicle is technologies related to a battery module, and researches on weight lightening, miniaturization, and a short charging time, and the like of the battery are actively conducted in recent years. The battery module may maintain optimal performance and long lifespan only when it is used in an optimal temperature environment. However, it is difficult to use the battery in the optimal temperature environment due to heat generated during a driving of the battery and an external temperature change.
In addition, since the electric vehicle does not have a source of waste heat generated during combustion in a separate engine such as an internal combustion engine, the electric vehicle performs an indoor heating of the vehicle in winter by an electric-type heater, and since the electric vehicle requires a warm-up to improve charging and discharging performance of the battery in cold weather, the electric vehicle each configures and uses a separate coolant heat-type electric heater. That is, in order to maintain the optimal temperature environment of the battery module, the electric vehicle adopts a technology of operating a cooling and heating system for adjusting a temperature of the battery module independently from a cooling and heating system for an indoor HAVC of a vehicle. In other words, the electric vehicle constructs two independent cooling and heating system, such that one is used to perform the indoor cooling and heating of the vehicle and the other is used to adjust the temperature of the battery module.
However, since the electric vehicle operated by the method as described above does not efficiently manage energy, it results in a short cruising distance and does not drive a long distance. Further, since the driving distance is reduced by 30% during cooling in summer and by 40% or more during heating in winter, a heating problem in winter, which was not a problem in the internal combustion engine, becomes even more serious.
In particular, in winter, an amount of heating the electronic components is greater than that of heating a high voltage battery part, and since the high voltage battery has a large contact area with air, cooling of the high voltage battery occurs more than the heating by a temperature of outside air during the driving. As a result, an appropriate temperature at which the high voltage battery is operated may not be satisfied and an output of the high voltage battery may be degraded. Therefore, in order to efficiently manage the high voltage battery in winter, the high voltage battery should be heated during the driving.
The matters described as the related art have been provided only for assisting in the understanding for the background of the present invention and should not be considered as corresponding to the related art known to those skilled in the art.